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Jon Lester will turn 36 before the final year of a six-year contract that several suitors reportedly are offering. At that same age, Barry Zito is temporarily finished after failing to fulfill a lucrative seven-year contract in 2013. And at 34, CC Sabathia is trying to rebound after an injury-plagued season as he enters the final two years of an eight-year, $182 million contract. Those examples, along with the ailments that limited the full effectiveness of Kevin Brown and Mike Hampton during their multiyear contracts one decade ago, further serve as a warning to teams willing to offer lengthy contracts to pitchers in their 30s. According to Fangraphs.com, Lester's velocity has...

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Jon Lester will turn 36 before the final year of a six-year contract that several suitors reportedly are offering.
At that same age, Barry Zito is temporarily finished after failing to fulfill a lucrative seven-year contract in 2013. And at 34, CC...

Judging from the various degrees of interest, the only stress free agent left-hander Jon Lester will encounter will be saying ‘’no thanks’’ to the teams he’ll turn down.
The interest in Lester, 30, has swelled and become more public in recent days with...

SAN FRANCISCO — Boston bills Fenway Park as the "most beloved ballpark in baseball" while the Cubs marketed Wrigley Field this year as the "party of the century."
But if you're looking for a ballpark that actually helps its team win...

PHOENIX — After grooming Ben Cherington replace him eventually with the Red Sox, Cubs President Theo Epstein goes head-to-head against his one-time protege for the first time since both interviewed Dale Sveum for their manager openings three years ago.
...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Giants reliever Hunter Strickland began jawing at catcher Salvador Perez in the sixth inning of Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday night, the Royals knew they finally had arrived.
Up until then, they were just the scrappy,...

No. 3 Rangers: 28th in a series counting down to spring training. Next: Yankees.
One pitch away from a World Series parade in October. Tens of thousands to go in February, and that doesn't count those thrown on the back fields and in the batting...

No. 2 Yankees: 29th in a series counting down to spring training. Next: Angels. Can we have a mulligan? That's what Hal Steinbrenner or Randy Levine, the Yankees' president, is believed to have asked either Commissioner Bud Selig or Rob Manfred, Major...

No. 13 Giants: 18th in a series counting down to spring training. Next: Reds. When it comes to winning games, Bruce Bochy does more with less. He wouldn't mind a little more relaxation. With the dominant pitching staff built around Tim Lincecum, Matt...

No. 17 Brewers: 14th in a series counting down to spring training. Next: Nationals. Years from now, Brewers fans should remember this. Don't blame Ryan Braun for his contract. That one's on owner Mark Attanasio, and to a lesser degree his general...

No. 16 Nationals: 15th in a series counting down to spring training. Next: Blue Jays Bryce Harper hasn't played a day in the big leagues, and unfortunately for him there is only one way to go. It is opposite of up. But if you want to bet on Harper as...

Will we ever see the Giants coming?
The team Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy put together since saying goodbye to Barry Bonds is the only National League team to win the World Series twice within three seasons since the Big Red Machine, yet the Giants...

Major league players are against many of the radical changes introduced during the Arizona Fall League to speed up games. Baseball players' association head Tony Clark is encouraging his membership to make slight adjustments that will improve the pace...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Tim Lincecum's long hair is back. More important, so is his father, Chris Lincecum, as his son's full-time pitching guru. Lincecum and his father had drifted apart over the past three years, and the results were spotty pitching and...

Washington's star-studded rotation reports to Florida. Matt Harvey continues his comeback with the New York Mets. Joe Maddon takes over the Chicago Cubs, and Russell Martin gets a closer look at Toronto's pitching staff. While much of the Northeast and...

SAN FRANCISCO While the Giants have plenty of pitchers to make up a starting rotation, questions abound about whether it will be a formidable enough rotation to spearhead another drive to the postseason. Matt Cain and Tim Hudson are coming off...

Yes, the Giants' announcements about signing Nori Aoki and re-signing Ryan Vogelsong were slightly less than the transformative additions that Giants fans have been craving all winter. And that came after the acquisition of third baseman Casey McGehee...

The Kansas City Royals might have skipped the World Series for three decades, but they have an identity now. Ladies and gentlemen, the Royals Way: a lockdown bullpen, suffocating defense and speed to kill.
The Oakland Athletics have a way, the...

Juan Uribe just missed a cycle and drove in seven runs against his former team, and the Dodgers routed the San Francisco Giants, 10-2, in the series opener between the two rivals Friday night at AT&T Park.
It was the 11th win in 13 games for the...

Whether by injury or ineffectiveness, nearly all fantasy owners have gaps in their lineups that need to be plugged. Staff writer Tim Hubbard looks at a few players who can be cheap solutions.
Jenrry Mejia
New York Mets | SP
Talk about taking a flier,...